What do you give a man who’s already won five-in-row? Hard to say but the freedom of the city of Dublin isn’t a bad start.
That’s the honour that was bestowed upon former Dublin manager Jim Gavin last night as he was celebrated for bringing unprecedented success to the county’s Gaelic football side. Gavin became the 82nd person to be given the award and the freedom was conferred by Dublin’s Lord Mayor Paul McAuliffe.
As well as leading Dublin to five senior All-Irelands titles in a row, Jim Gavin also served as a pilot in the Defence Forces for 20 years. Having been a member of the Dublin side which won the 1995 All-Ireland, Gavin was handed the management reins in 2012. As manager, he only lost one Championship game, falling to Donegal in the 2014 semi-final. Aside from that, he led Dublin to the Sam Maguires six times in total, in the years 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
At last night’s ceremony, Gavin said he was “humbled” by the honour and added “Dublin is a great city full of great and passionate people, with a noble history and a hopeful future. I am proud to be one of them.”
Other notable people to have been awarded the freedom of Dublin include Gay Bynre, the members of U2, Brian O’Driscoll and Barack and Michelle Obama.
